The King James Bible has often been called the Book of Books, referring both to its structure and its preeminence. Since appearing in 1611 it has been the best-selling book in the world, not only spreading the Protestant faith but also influencing the enrichment of the English language and its literature, and inspiring wars, revolutions, democracies, the Enlightenment, abolition, and suffrage. As Melvyn Bragg makes clear, the King James Bible has driven the making of the English-speaking world over the last 400 years, and it is not finished yet.

"The two main strands of Bragg's career—intellectual mediator and bestselling popular novelist—are perfectly fused in The Book of Books. It's an energetic work with enormous intellectual range that manages to turn the history of the King James Bible into a pacey adventure story."—Guardian (London)

"What gives this book its particular power, beyond Bragg's own reputation as a broadcaster, novelist and one of our foremost public intellectuals, is that he separates the importance of the King James Bible from the role of Christianity itself. Bragg tells the history of the King James with the vigor and pace of a storyteller rather than the dry precision of an academic."—Independent (London)